It's All About Love

Picture is from ChristianCrafts.net

My husband and I don't celebrate many holidays. We just aren't holiday people and we try to have fun together all the time. But as my children are getting older, I think we'll try to incorporate some holiday type ideas more often and try to use them as opportunities to teach our children principles.

Sometimes I think my 3 1/2 year old is too young to understand things. However, children will usually surprise you with just how much they do understand. Even if they're just copying you right now, you're laying foundations for the rest of their lives. So here's how I have been using Valentine's Day (a Hallmark promoted holiday) to teach my children.

1. First we talked about how today is a day to think about love and how we love people
2. We talked about how God loves everyone. We then played a "game" with me asking "Does God love..." and inserting a name of someone we know. She would enthusiastically say "Yes!"
3. I sang the John 3:16 song that we have on cd. My daughter sang along by singing "The bible tells me so." Different song, but it works too. :)
4. We talked about how we're going to color pictures and do things for Daddy to show him that we love him.
5. My daughter is at the innocent age where she will blurt out "I don't like..." a person she doesn't feel so loving towards. I explain to her that even if we don't like someone, we still need to love them because God does and He wants us to love them too.
6. We talked about how even when we're bad, God still loves us and the same goes for other people as well. Even when they do bad things, we still love them.
7. Although she's too little to do a lot of crafts for Valentine's Day, I did pick up a little candy heart necklace kit we'll do after lunch today. She loves crafts. :) We'll probably make valentines for people we know as well for a craft today.
8. We talked about how God loved us so much that He sent Jesus (His Son) to the world to be with us. She doesn't understand the weight and meaning of it, but it lays a strong foundation now that we can build on as she grows older. It's important for both children and adults to store the Word in their hearts so we have the truth to keep us strong and to fall back on.

So, even though she's young, I'm trying now to instill truth and love in her now. Children are little sponges and soak it all up to use later. I hope you all have a wonderful day in God's love today! Are you doing anything for Valentine's Day?